All the time there are photos on Twitter like, "Letter to High School Seniors" or "List of Lasts for the Class of 20__." I'm sure that hardly anyone can say that they've never read at least part of one, so we all know how it goes: a melancholy sob-story about how you're going to miss high school once you graduate and all of the experiences that come along with being a teenager.

I can tell you, yes, you will miss those high school things from time to time. However, I think it's not so much the whole high school experience that molds you into the person you become as much as the hometown as a whole.

Sure there are exceptions to this rule, but, speaking from personal experience, many of the life lessons and great memories I have from my childhood all the way up to graduating high school are centered around my hometown in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

Back in elementary school, I always had a birthday party with all of my closest friends (which meant the entire 4th-grade class because everyone was friends with everyone back then). In Buckhannon, we have a roller-skating rink, and that was the venue for many of my birthday bashes through the years. Roller-skating is such a unique experience that many kids nowadays don't get to enjoy. I very distinctly remember one of my classmates counting exactly how many times he fell during the two-hour party. The whole time we would look around the rink and he would either be on the floor again or be clinging onto the railing for support. Years later and we sit beside each other in our Chemistry 116 course at WVU.

Once middle school rolled around, things changed a bit. Many weekends I could be found seeing the 7:00 p.m. showing of the latest chick-flick with my "besties.' We always wanted to go to the 9:20 p.m. show, but we were still confined to having our parents as chauffeurs at that point. Buckhannon's little six-screen theater always showed the big blockbuster movies, and getting the whole crew together for a pre-movie selfie on our iPods was a regular occurrence. Middle schoolers now have free reign of the internet on their smart phones, while us 90's kids suffered waiting for a place with unlocked wifi.

High school, by definition, brought more drama but also more memories. With the addition of Buffalo Wild Wings in town, there was a new place to hang out after sporting events, or really any occasion. Every sports team or club from our only high school in the county would have fundraisers at many of the local restaurants in town. Every Saturday morning you could count on CJ Maggie's having a pancake breakfast from 8-10 a.m., followed by another sports team having a car wash in the Wendy's parking lot the whole afternoon. My friend's and I were supporters of each other in everything we did throughout high school. Almost every home volleyball game I could count on at least one of my friends being there to cheer me on.

While I was in school, I took these places for granted. The place where I had my birthday parties, the weekend movie dates with my friends, and the events where my friends and I supported each other through everything. Growing up in Buckhannon has given me these experiences. They have led to great friendships. Everyone is always so eager to get out of their hometown, out of their comfort zone, after graduation. While it's nice to explore other options and dive into a new life at college, work, or wherever you may be, don't forget to say "thanks" to your hometown.

So, "thanks" Buckhannon, for the overwhelming sense of community you've shown me over the years and the memories I will never forget.